New Arrival
by Leo Connors
Summary: A young lion has moved into the village, becoming an instant hint with Sonic and the gang. Well, minus Sticks, of course. However, so does a new threat. And there may be more than meets the eye to their new friend. Can they trust him? Read on and find out! Rated T for language and suggestive themes later on. Sonamy in later chapters.
1. The Newcomer

_The Newcomer_

The sun rise shone through the shack windows onto the sleeping hedgehog. He stirred upon the light hitting his eyelids. He turned the other way, attempting to get at least some of the sunlight out of his face. He wanted to sleep for at least a few minutes longer. Just enough to count it as a good night's sleep.

Several minutes later, he finally opened his eyes groggily. With a loud yawn, he sat up on his hammock, rubbing his eyes to clear his vision. When he could see properly, he grabbed his signature brown neck bandana off of the nightstand and wrapped it around his neck. He stood up from the hammock, stretched several areas in his limbs and back, and walked over to his kitchen. There, he made himself a bowl of cereal, poured a glass of orange juice, and plopped himself down onto his couch in front of the television.

A smile spread across his face as he saw that a local celebrity known as Comedy Chimp was now on. "So what is the deal with getting sued these days?" the chimp rants. "Every time I want to buy a new shirt, I have to pay both the price _and _compensation fees!" The audience roared with laughter, and the hedgehog himself couldn't help but chuckle at the corny humor. After he had finished eating, he set the bowl down onto the couch side table. "Okay," he finally said. "Time to go for my morning run."

With that, he ran out the entrance to his shack at an incredible velocity, leaving a trail of blue energy along the coastline.

After about 15 minutes of running, he stopped in the village. Surveying the area, he saw that everything was quite peaceful. "Well," he said. "Might as well enjoy the peace before another attack." He sat down on the bench, soaking up the sunlight. Suddenly, he heard a beeping from his wrist communicator. Tapping the top of it, he listened for a voice. "Hey, Sonic!" a young voice said. "Tails, what's up?" the cobalt-blue hedgehog asked. "Want to come test out my new invention?"

"Sure. I'll be right there." Sonic turned off his communicator and set out at breakneck speed towards his friend's workshop.

Upon arriving there, Sonic slowed down to a walking speed and opened the door to the large workshop. "Hey, Tails?" he asked as he entered. "Over here!" the yellow two-tailed fox answered. Sonic walked over to where Tails was standing next to a vehicle looking machine. "So," he inquired. "What's this?"

"It's a new sort of cycle I invented," the young fox explained. "It amplifies your speed energy and transfers it into the engine. The engine then uses that energy to enhance the speed of the vehicle, allowing it to move as fast as you want it to."

Sonic couldn't help but feel impressed. Usually, Tails' inventions managed to blow up in his face. Literally. He was surprised that his friend hadn't had to go to the hospital after all of that.

But this was quite the flashy vehicle.

Studying the vehicle, he ran his hands over the smooth, streamlined surface. "Can I test it out?" he asked. "Sure!" Tails replied. "Take it for a spin outside." With great excitement, Sonic rolled the bike out onto the rocky earth. He mounted the bike carefully, placed a helmet that was hanging off one handle onto his head, and gripped the handles. "Just think about moving fast," Tails explained. "And focus that energy."

Doing as instructed, Sonic charged up his kinetic energy. At once, it was transferred into the bike itself. A low hum began to grow louder as the energy was converted. With a push of the pedal, the cycle zoomed off into the lush green jungle. He carefully maneuvered it so that it wouldn't collide with any roots, bushes, or rough land. He couldn't believe that it was actually _working_. He had a motorbike that was going the same speed he could go. Within only about two minutes, he had reached the other end of the jungle.

Sonic released an impressed whistle from his lips. His friend had done it again. He pressed down on the gas pedal, and zipped back to Tails' workshop in no time.

Once he had arrived in the proximity of his friend's property, he stopped the cycle right next to the eight-year-old fox. "So?" Tails asked. "What do you think?" Sonic smiled. "This is probably even better that Blue Force One," he described. "And I really like Blue Force One, at that." The fox smiled proudly.

Suddenly, both of their communicators beeped. They both turned them on almost in unison. "Sonic, Tails!" a female voice said. "Eggman's attacking the village again." Sonic looked at Tails. "We'll be right there, Amy!" he replied, and turned off his communicator. "I'll get my plane!" Tails said. He ran back into the workshop. Sonic ran off towards the village. _Here we go again_, he thought to himself.

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Only a few minutes later, he had arrived at the village, where he could see the usual robots attacking the villagers. He looked up and saw his nemesis, Dr. Eggman, inside his floating pod vehicle. The two mini pods attached to the sides were empty, meaning that the doctor's hench bots, Orbot and Cubot, were most likely back at his evil lair.

"Hey, Egghead!" he called, causing the doctor to turn to him. "Sorry to crash your party!" With this, he jumped up in the air, curled into a ball, and began to spin rapidly. He span himself into a crab-like robot, causing it to break into several pieces. "Oh, come on!" Eggman said. "Can't an evil genius destroy a village just for the fun of it?" Sonic destroyed another robot. "Nope!" he answered. He didn't notice a scorpion-like robot behind him. Suddenly, a large pink and yellow hammer was brought down upon its body.

Sonic turned around upon hearing the noise, and saw the welcoming sight of his friend, Amy Rose. "Good to see you here, Sonic," she said, turning to blow apart another robot with her hammer. "Glad I could make it," he replied. He spin-dashed into a ladybug type robot rolling on a single wheel.

Turning around, he also saw his two other friends, Knuckle and Sticks, battling about with some more robots. He ran to help them, only to be redirected after dodging an unexpected missile. Looking to where it at come from, Sonic could see a massive robot rolling towards them on treads. It's single red optic glowed fiercely. Sonic attempted a spin-dash, only for the robot to deflect his attack with the swing of an arm. He caught himself so that his shoes slid to a stop on the ground. _Man_, he thought. _I keep forgetting how strong this guy is._

A yellow beam of energy suddenly flew into the robot's head, catching its attention to a flying yellow plane. Sonic and his friends recognized it immediately as Tails' plane. "Great to see you, buddy!" he said into his communicator. The plane fired several more energy rounds at the robot before one of them blasted through its neck, causing it to fall to the ground in a heap of metal.

Within seconds, the rest of the robots were completely destroyed. Eggman growled ferociously. "Great," he yelled at the five friends. "Now I have to pay for all the damages done to my robots. I'll be back next week after I filed all the paperwork!" With this, he turned around in his pod and flew away.

Sonic turned to his teammates. "Way to go, guys!" he said to them. All five of them jumped up and cheered for their victory. Sonic interrupted the celebration. "So, who's hungry?" The other four all raised their hands. "Okay," he continued. "Let's go to Meh Burger."

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Several minutes later, they were sitting at a Meh Burger table, chatting away while waiting for their food to get there. Sonic had been explaining Tails' speed cycle. "That thing can go as fast as me!" he said. "Do you know how useful it could be?" Amy perked up. "To help fight against Eggman's attacks?" she asked in anticipation. "Well, that," Sonic replied. "But it can also help in a lot of races." Amy frowned.

A young teenage beaver walked over to their table with a tray of food. "Here you are," he said in a cracking voice. "Quality customer service on a bun." He set it down on the table. "Thanks, Dave," Knuckles said. "Whatever," Dave said glumly. He walked away.

They all got their food off the tray and began eating. "Meh Burger, how do you do it?" Sonic asked after swallowing. Knuckles bit into his burger. "Mmm," he hummed. "Love the taste of dirty underwear." The others looked at him strangely. "I'm gonna give this place a one out of five for food quality," Amy deadpanned.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, either chewing on burger and fries, or taking large sips from their drinks. They were so busy eating that none of them had noticed someone walking into the restaurant until they had reached the counter. "Hey," the person said. "Can I get a bottle of water?" This single statement caused Sonic to suddenly inhale sharply in surprise, unintentionally allowing the food to get caught in his throat, causing him to cough loudly. Tails patted his back hard, which helped his blue friend to cough the chunks of food out into his napkin. "Thanks, buddy," he said. "What did that guy say again?" All of them turned toward the counter to see that the figure was now looking at their table.

They could now see that he was an orangish-brown lion who was looked to be in his late teenage years with messy dark brown hair, peacock-blue eyes, a light brown muzzle, and a build similar to Sonic's. He was wearing a blue T-shirt with a red three-clawed scratch pattern printed on the front, sand-colored jeans with a black belt, and grey tennis shoes. He appeared to be slightly taller than Sonic, but definitely shorter than Knuckles. "You okay there, man?" he asked. Sonic nodded. "Yeah," he said. "It's just that people don't usually order water at this place." The lion shrugged. "I was gonna get something _with_ the water." He turned back to Dave. "One water please _and_ a Meh Combo Number One." Dave was playing with a paddle board. "I'm on my break," he whined.

Rolling his eyes, he took a ten dollar bill out of his pocket and placed it on the counter. "Just get me my freaking order, will you?" he said impatiently. Dave shrugged. "Fine, if you insist," he said. The young lion walked away from the counter and sat down at the table next to the team's. They were all still looking at him.

He looked at them strangely. "What the hell are you guys staring at?" he asked. "You're all looking at me like I just busted out of a psycho ward." Amy was the first to answer. "Sorry, sir," she said. "It's just that we've never seen you here before. Do you live here?"

"No. I'm from the other side of the island," he explained. "My name's Lionel Connors. Call me Leo." Amy smiled warmly. "Well, nice to meet you, Leo," she greeted. "I'm Amy Rose. This is Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Sticks." She gestured towards them with each name respectively. Leo waved. "Hi there." Knuckles waved back. "Hi, stranger," he said with a smile. The lion looked at him strangely. "Okay…" he muttered slowly.

Dave came by with a smaller tray with a burger, fries, and a water. "Mustard and ketchup is over there," he explained in a bored tone, pointing to a smaller counter in the corner. "Napkins as well. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be back on my break." The teenage badger walked away.

Leo stood up and walked over to the condiment table. Seconds later, he came back with a small cup of ketchup and a napkin. Sitting back down, he picked up his main course. "Nothing like a good burger," he said, biting into the sandwich.

Suddenly, his eyes widened. Picking up his napkin, he spit the chunk of food back out into the napkin. He made a loud, disgusted groaning noise. "What is this stuff?!" he exclaimed. "Well, it's not exactly beef," Tails said. Leo set down the burger-filled napkin on the table. "Let's see if the fries are any better," he said. He picked up a fry and bit into it. This time, he looked slightly less disgusted, but seemed to have trouble swallowing it without gagging. "What's with the food at this place?" he wondered out loud.

Amy nodded. "I agree," she said. "Restaurants should give customers better food quality than this." Leo looked at her. "Why don't you give it a shot?" he asked. She gave him a look. "I've already tried," she said. "As it turns out, it's out of my league." He shrugged. "So," he continued, trying to change the subject. "Are you and Sonic together or something?" Both she and the cobalt hedgehog's muzzles turned a beet red. "Well," Sonic said. "No."

Leo realized what he had done. "Sorry!" he apologized quickly. "That's a _really _bad habit!" Amy's muzzle returned to its natural color. "It's okay," she assured. "People always assume that." Sonic nodded. "Yeah, it's getting to be a viral thing lately."

Leo nodded. "Okay," he said, taking the cap off of the plastic bottle. He brought the bottle to his lips, sipping the water. "At least they got the water right," he said. He took a massive drink, emptying at least half of the bottle in seconds. "Trust me when I say I had better food at elementary school. And _that_ stuff was terrible"

He then noticed that Sticks was looking at him suspiciously. "What's _your_ deal?" he asked. She focused her stare. "I don't trust him," she said, turning to the others. "What if he's just a double agent? Or worse, a member of some secret society!" Leo looked at Sonic. "Who died and made her queen of conspiracy?" he asked. Sonic shrugged.

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After the others had their lunch, they walked across town with their new lion friend. "So," Sonic began. "You've heard of Tommy Thunder?" Leo nodded with an unenthusiastic look. "Yeah. He's an okay actor. I prefer Chris Spine." Amy looked up. "Chris Spine?" she asked. "The porcupine actor who won three Awardy-Awards for his role in _Star Pack_?" Leo nodded with an impressed smile. "That's the one."

As they continued walking, they passed by a store. "Hang on," Leo said. "I'm gonna get some fruit since my lunch was pretty gross." Giving the store clerk a five dollar bill, he bought a pear and bit into its soft skin, clearly content with the juicy fruit. "This village may have the worst restaurant I've ever been to," he said after swallowing. "But, man, you guys have good fruit."

"Hey!" Sonic said. "That's a pretty low blow!" Leo shrugged in response. "Sorry," he muttered.

In the duration of half an hour, they walked and talked. Sticks, of course, was still suspicious of their new friend's motives. But the young lion simply shrugged it off. "I didn't tell you guys why I'm here yet, have I?" he asked. "Not that I can recall," Tails replied.

"I'm actually _moving_ into this village." Knuckles smiled. "I guess you and I can be roommates, then," he said, giving Leo a hard pat on the back. He winced, rubbing the part where the large echidna's hand had struck him. "That's not really what I meant," he corrected. "I was planning on getting my _own_ house."

Sonic looked at him. "I think Amy can help you with that," he explained. "She's part of the real estate committee." She perked up. "Sure thing, Leo!" she said in an excited tone. "I'll show you some houses." Leo smiled. "That would be great," he replied.

For the rest of the afternoon, the two explored houses that were available for purchase. Some houses barely caught his eye, but only one stood out to him. It was a one-story house with a small basement underneath, four rooms, including a small kitchen, and a nice view of the jungle. "This'll do," the teenage feline concluded.

After an hour of paperwork and paying, the house was his. He took out the "For Sale" sign that was in the ground. "Well," he said to Amy. "Thanks for the help. I needed the directions." She smiled. "Just here to help out," she replied. "Okay," he said. "I'll be back tomorrow with my stuff. See you then." The others waved, all except Sticks. "See ya, stranger!" Knuckles called. Leo chuckled, and walked down the road.

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The next morning, the team waited in front of their friend's home. "Hey, I think that's him!" Sonic said, pointing to a red Racoon Dragster that was pulling up with a mini trailer. And indeed it was, for coming out of the driver's seat was Leo. "Hey, guys!" he said as he hopped out of the convertible. "Glad you could make it." He walked over to the small trailer that his car was towing. "Think you could help me unload?" Amy nodded. "We're ready when you are, Leo," she said. He smiled, then opened the trailer doors, revealing a sofa, several wooden chairs, a table, a bed frame, a mattress, several boxes, and, strangely enough, a motorcycle. "Not much," he says. "Just enough to call it home."

In a few moments, they were all taking stuff out of the trailer and carrying it into the house. Knuckles took a box labeled "Kitchen Supplies" through the front door, then quite suddenly dropped it on the kitchen table. A shattering sound erupted from the inside. "Knuckles!" Leo yelled, causing the red echidna to look at him strangely. "I needed that!" Knuckles shrugged. "Sorry," he said.

Sticks was studying the boxes she carried carefully, shaking it next to her ear to hear anything. "There's bound to be _some _government technology in here," she muttered. Suddenly, she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned around, making eye contact with Leo. "Do you mind actually taking that _inside_?" he asked. "You're starting to scare me." She narrowed her eyes, then walked into the house and dropped it violently in a room. Leo let out a frustrated sigh. "This girl is _crazy_," he said.

Within another hour, everything was set into place in a nice, tidy area. "Alright," Leo said. "I think that about covers it." He turned back to the others. "Thanks, guys. If you want, you can come over tonight and watch a movie." Tails nodded. "That sounds fun," he replied. The lion smiled. "Then it's settled."

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Sonic decided to come to his new friend's house in style, so he got the speed cycle and sped down the road. When he reached the premises, he skidded the bike to a halt. The door opened, revealing a slightly confused Leo. But his confusion became that of impressed. "Wow," he whispered. "What's this?" Sonic got off of his cycle. "It's my new bike," he explained. "Tails made it for me

Leo's expression returned to surprise. "Tails made this?" he wondered in amazement as he ran his hands over the surface. "Yep," Sonic replied. "He's the smartest eight-year-old I know."

The teenage lion let out an impressed whistle. "Well, the others are already inside," he said. "Except for Sticks. I take it she doesn't trust easily?" The cobalt hedgehog nodded. "Yeah," he answered. "She doesn't even trust _us_ sometimes." After some awkward silence, the two walked inside, where Tails, Amy, and Knuckles were in the living room.

"Right," Leo said. "Now that everyone's here, I'll go make popcorn and drinks." He walked into the kitchen, and after a moment came some rattling, popping, and sizzling sounds until he came back with a tray of popcorn bowls and cups. "Try not to finish this before the movie starts," he instructed. "Believe me, I've gotten stomach cramps from doing that." The others nodded, and Leo put a disc into the DVD player. "So," Sonic said. "What movie are we watching?" Leo got back up and plopped on the couch with Amy and Tails. "I was thinking we could watch _Welcome, Players_," he explained. Amy gasped. "The Steven Beaverberg movie based on the novel by Ernest Climb?" she asked excitedly. Leo nodded. "You sure know a lot about good movies," he responded.

Tails took a sip of his drink. "Hey," he said. "This is pretty good. What is it?" Leo turned to him. "It's a mix I made from cranberry juice, Sprite, and some lemon juice,. Just because." Sonic gave a content hum. "Well, I like it!"

The main menu appeared on the boxy television screen. "Ready to have the best movie night of your life?" Leo asked as he held up the remote. The others smiled, minus Knuckles. "Come on!" he complained. "Turn on the movie!" Rolling his eyes, Leo pressed the Select button, and the movie began to play.

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Outside the reef of the main island, a smaller, rocky island sat in the middle of the ocean. On top of the island was a massive base. On the side of the base was an insignia of what looked like a face with a massive mustache.

Inside the base, Dr. Eggman was pacing the floor back and forth. "I got the paperwork done faster than I thought," he muttered. "But I _still _don't know what I should do in my next attack!" Beside him, Orbot and Cubot hovered over the floor. Orbot raised his hand. "Maybe you could make a stealth robot!" he offered. Eggman shook his head. "I'm not capable of making that kind of technology," he replied.

Suddenly, a strange voice rang out from around them. "Then perhaps _we_ could be of assistance," it said in a male tone. The three of them looked around the room sharply, trying to find where the voice originated. "Show yourself!" Eggman yelled.

There was silence, then a loud explosion as the massive door came crashing down. Eggman coughed from the smoke. Once it cleared, he looked towards the now open entryway, where he saw three Mobian-like robots. One of them had the appearance of a hyena, it's slightly bulky body bearing sharp metal plating in some areas, colored sandy-tan and gunmetal grey. Its optics sported green glowing LEDs. Another was a much more slender owl in , with metal wings hanging off of its back. Its purple optics stared directly at Eggman. The final one was the largest of all of them. It's body looked like that of a bull, sporting red optics.

Eggman looked at them angrily. "Hey!" he roared. "I just paid for the deposit on that door!" The hyena stepped forward. "Nevermind that," it said in the strange voice they heard before. "Dr. Eggman, we're looking for someone. And we want your help." Eggman looked unconvinced. "Why me?" he asked suspiciously. The owl stepped forward next to the hyena. "You're the smartest person in this area," it said in a female voice. "So we figured you were our best bet."

He drew them a suspicious glare. "Who are you, exactly?" he said in a low voice. The hyena put a hand to his chest. "We represent a security division of the main continent outside of the island," he explained. "Our target is a rogue android designed by our creator, Dr. Aaron Hunter. Our mission is to capture and disable him to prevent him from harming anyone."

Eggman was still not convinced. "And what would be in it for me if I helped you?" he inquired. "If you help us detain our target," the hyena explained. "It would be our diligence to reward you for your help." This made the mad doctor smile menacingly. "Sounds like a good plan," he said. "But how do you plan on getting him?" The bull smirked. "We've got a little trick we like to call 'stealth mode,'" he said in a gruff voice. Suddenly, their plating separated cleanly. Their entire bodies quickly shifted into bodies resembling their Mobian animal counterparts. Then, an organic-like cover began to molecularly construct around them. Clothing appeared on their bodies as the skin grew, resulting in completely seamless figures.

Eggman gawked at their new forms. The hyena robot now sported brown fur with grey accents, a tanned muzzle, green eyes, and wore a red button-up shirt, grey pants, and white tennis shoes. The owl had reddish-brown feathers, a greyish-blue beak, purple eyes, and sported a green short-sleeved nylon shirt, red leggings, and brown slip-on shoes. Finally, the bull was now golden-furred and red eyed, wearing only a black tank-top and grey shorts with red shoes.

"That looks completely real!" the doctor gasped. Orbot hovered forward, apparently scanning their forms. "Actually," he said. "They _are _real. I can't even trace any mechanical residue in their bodies." The owl nodded. "That's because Dr. Hunter designed us so our entire bodies, no matter what form we're in, look _and_ function like an organic Mobian body," she explained. "And we have built in dampeners to hide our robotics." This time, Eggman smirked malevolently. "Just the advantage I need," he muttered. "Can I get names out of you?" The hyena was the first to answer. "Call me Cackle," he said. "My partner is Swoop. And the big guy is Rammer." The two nodded at their names respectively as they all reverted back to their mechanical forms.

"Now," Eggman continued. "Who's your target?" Rammer raised his hand. "Like we said, another android. Codenamed Roar," he explained. Swoop stopped him. "But don't get so hopeful, Eggman," she cautioned. "Our enemy's just as powerful as us, if not more." She projected a hologram out of her palm of a robotic lion with light blue optics, sporting silver and Copenhagen blue plating. "His body is a more updated model of ours, and he outmatches us in fighting ability. But his fighting capacity is outmatched against our numbers, which can be a hassle on his processor."

"However, his weapons system carries automated long-range and melee weapons, and is capable of performing a large number of offensive and defensive strategies. He adapts to others attacks and uses it against them. He's tough to catch. And he has no weaknesses that we know of."

"Well, that's tremendous," Eggman said with an eye-roll, then rubbed his hands together menacingly. "But by tomorrow, he'll be all yours," he offered. "_If_ you help me get rid of some nuiscances of mine." Cackle nodded. "Fair enough," he said. "Tell us who they are."

Soon, the doctor brought out a holographic projector from the closet, and turned it on. "The first one is Sonic, the leader of the group," he explained as an image of a blue hedgehog appeared. " He is capable of moving at an incredible velocity. He uses his agility in strategic maneuvers to help combat an enemy. But his pride and overconfidence outmatches those attributes.

"The next one is Tails, the brains behind the team. Don't be fooled by his age, but even with his high IQ, his machinery is pretty basic." As he continued, more images of the team appeared on the hologram respectively. "Amy Rose. She may be a girl, but she can sure swing that hammer. However, her love for the community has a tendency to make her deviate from her mission priorities There's this red echidna, although I can't remember his name. He's the bulk of the team. But he's pretty stupid. And finally, Sticks the Badger. She uses melee tactics to her advantage. Her weapons may be strong against my robots, but I'm sure they'll have trouble against you. So be sure to remember all of that."

The three androids looked at each other, then nodded in apparent agreement. "We're in," Cackle said.

"Good," Eggman said, then let out a small chuckle, which slowly grew into a menacing cackle that echoed throughout the base, resonating itself to the outer edge of the small island.


	2. Early Attack

_Early Attack_

As the moonlight shone above the village, inside a small house, Sonic and his friends watched as the credits rolled on the screen. Knuckles was clapping and whistling excitedly. "We're not in a theater, Knuckles," Leo explained. "Huh," the red echidna replied. "I was wondering why the projector screen was so small." The young lion let out an exasperated sigh, then turned to the others. "So, how'd you guys enjoy the movie?"

Tails smiled. "It was even better than I imagined!" he described cheerfully. "I mean, sure, there were some plot holes, but the story was so good!" Amy nodded. "Even though the book is better with pacing, I think this was still pretty cool." Sonic sat up straight. "I really liked the look of Robo-Lizard," he added. Leo smiled. "Glad you guys enjoyed it," he said. "I'm surprised it got fifty-seven percent on Poisoned Potatoes." The gang nodded in agreement, muttering some unintelligible words before standing up. "Well," Knuckles said with a yawn. "I guess it's about time to hit the sack." Sonic looked at the clock on the wall. "He's right," the cobalt hedgehog said. "It's pretty late. Plus, the band has a gig at the village square tomorrow."

"Wait, what band?" Leo inquired. Tails was the first to explain. "Well, us guys are a band called Dudetude." Leo perched an eyebrow. "Never heard of you," he responded. "But, I'll come and see you guys. When is it?" Sonic smiled. "That'd be great!" he said. "And it's at two thirty, in case you were wondering."

They all waved as they exited the house. "See you guys tomorrow!" Leo called out the window as they all went there separate ways. Suddenly, a boomerang hit him in the face, causing him to yelp in surprise. It circled back to a familiar badger sitting in the bushes. "Just because you're hiding doesn't mean I can't see you, Sticks!" he called angrily as he shut the window.

Sticks smirked. "I think I'm starting to get under his skin," she said with a mischievous giggle.

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The hot afternoon sun crawled slowly through the cloudless sky as people began to crowd around a small pullout stage in the center of the village. Everyone was chattering with minimal excitement, including Leo, Amy, and Sticks. None of them noticed that a hyena, an owl, and a bull were all surveying the area, as if looking for someone.

Leo looked at the stage in front of them. "So, how good are they?" he asked Amy. The pink hedgehog shrugged. "They're pretty good," she said. "They managed to get Sticks and I over Justin Beaver."

Leo shuddered. "You two were fans of _Justin Beaver?"_ he inquired in a disgusted voice.

Sticks put her hands on her hips. "Hey, his music is still good," she argued. "We're just not so hung up on him, is all." Leo shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I just don't like his songs."

"How dare you!" Sticks said, getting into a stance prepped for a possible lunge.

Before their argument could escalate any further, Comedy Chimp, walked onto the stage, causing the crowd to erupt into quiet applause. "Thank you all for coming," Chimp greeted. "Let's get this music fest on the road. Introducing Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles Prower, and Knuckles the Echidna, playing together as Duditude!"

Both Amy and Sticks squealed with delight, receiving confused looks from Leo in response.

Comedy Chimp stepped backwards out of the way as the curtains opened, revealing the trio dressed in white button up shirts. Sonic held a triple headed electric guitar in his hands, gripping onto it firmly. Tails clutched a bass, his fingers running over the strings. Behind them, Knuckles was seated at a set of drums, holding a stick in each hand. All of them had proud looks on their faces.

"Hey, everybody!" Sonic said into the microphone. A second cheer erupted from the crowd. "Welcome to the gig! We have quite a treat for you today, so gear up and rock on!"

Silence crept through as the applause faded. Then, a low, soft guitar tune began to echo through the speakers, played by Tails. It carried on for several seconds before Sonic began to sing, his voice holding perfectly.

_When I was a young boy,_

_My father took me into the city, to see a marching band._

As the song repeated, Knuckles began to beat his drumstick against the symbol, in a sort of parade-like fashion.

_He said, "Son when you grow up,_

_Will you be the savior of the broken?_

_The beaten and the damned?"_

As Leo and his friends listened on in the crowd, he suddenly found the lyrics familiar, and realized they were playing a cover of an already known song. But it almost seemed just as good as the original.

_He said, "Will you defeat them?  
Your demons?_

_And all the non-believers?_

_The plans that they have made?_

"_Because one day, I leave you._

_A phantom, to lead you in the summer._

_To join the Black Parade!"_

In a flash, Sonic began strumming his guitar strings in a louder fashion, followed by Tails and Knuckles, who all played an eight second bridge in between the lyrics before letting the music fade for another second.

Suddenly, Knuckles began to play a loud, fast-paced drum solo, joined by Sonic and Tails playing their guitars quickly, their fingers darting up and down the heads as the crowd erupted into a short, loud applause.

_Sometimes I get the feeling_

_She's watching over me!_

_And other times, I feel like I should go!_

_And through it all, the rise and fall!_

_The bodies in the streets!_

_And when you're gone, we want you all to know…_

They all played a rapid, one second bridge before carrying over to the main chorus.

_We'll carry on! We'll carry on!_

_And though you are dead and gone_

_Believe me!_

_Your memory will carry on!_

_You'll carry on!_

_And in my heart I can't contain it!_

_The anthem won't explain it!_

As the three boys continued to sing the lyrics, Leo couldn't help but admire how well they played the song. It was still the same note pattern, but there was a bit of techno music added into the electric guitars and drums that made the cover its own thing.

For the rest of the event, Duditude played their own works. Songs that, admittedly, were a bit cheesy, but that couldn't compare to the sheer awesomeness of their music.

In the matter of an hour-and-a-half, the concert was over. The whole crowd came together for one final applause before departing, leaving only Leo, Amy, and Sticks to stay behind.

The three boys came off of the stage towards their friends. They all high fived each other in excited triumph. Leo seemed the most verbal in his praise, rambling on about how great they all were. "You guys were fantastic!" he said in an excited, fast-paced manner. "That music was incredible! Your voices were amazing!" He stopped to catch his breath and ease his excitement.

"You are the best band I've ever heard," he finished, which earned him proud, thankful smiles from the guys.

**WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWM**

Later, after the equipment and stage had been removed from the town square, the group sat near the town hall and talked.

"So, Tails, that bike you made," Leo began, catching the attention of the young fox. "How does it work?"

Tails thought for a moment. "Well, I built the engine so that it targets and syphons the speed energy Sonic gives off, thereby allowing a secondary unit to convert that energy into a fuel source. The more he focuses that energy, the faster it gets."

Leo looked intrigued. "That's actually really cool," he complimented. "I modified my motorcycle so that it turns oxygen molecules into a combustible _and_ clean energy source for the engine."

Tails perked up. "Wait, _you_ can do that?" he asked in a bewildered voice. "Did you use a subatomic particle producer to add the necessary protons and electrons?" Leo's eyes widened. "No, that's just too much of a hassle. I used a portable molecule converter."

"No way!" Tails exclaimed.

Suddenly, the two looked at the others, who were giving Leo confused looks. "Hey," the teenage lion said. "I graduated high school last year. Sometimes it pays to be a nerd."

Sticks crossed her arms and gave a disapproving look at her friends. "See what I mean?" she persisted. "No average person is that smart! He really _is_ a double agent!"

"Oh, for the love of-!" Leo yelled, standing up to meet Sticks' eyes. "I'm _not_ a double agent! When are you gonna get that in that thick skull of yours?!"

Sticks gave him a sharp glare. "Hey, at least I'm not some seductive teenager who manipulates people into becoming their friends!" she countered.

"'Manipulated?' Well, I, for one, am not some kid who came out of the jungle in a torn up _rag_, who has _zero _social skills and likes some buck-toothed _doofus's_ music!" Leo shot back.

As their argument continued onward, several people stopped what they did and looked in their general direction. Sonic felt uncomfortable having people look at them like that. Lady Walrus even covered her eldest son's ears. "Why, I have never heard such foul language!" she said angrily.

Just as it seemed like Leo's and Sticks' conflict would escalate to something more physical, a loud explosion suddenly erupted in the village streets. Leo and Sticks stopped their quarrel and looked in the direction of the fireball.

A pod slowly hovered out of the smoke, revealing a smirking Eggman with Orbot and Cubot in the sidecars. "Well, well, well," he said in a teasing voice. "Sorry I couldn't make it to the concert, rodents."

Leo backed away slightly, but clenched his fists as he did so. "W-Who is that?" he stammered.

"That's Egghead," Sonic explained. "Egg_man_!" the doctor corrected angrily. "Words hurt, you know!"

"Something's not right!" Tails exclaimed. "He never attacks off schedule!" This earned a confused look from the young lion.

"Get to safety, Leo," Amy instructed. "We've got this covered." With this, she drew out her massive hammer, making Leo's eyes widen in surprise. "If you don't have some kind of pocket portable function in that thing, I just might think you're some kind of magician," he muttered before dashing off to find cover.

Sticks drew out her wooden staff, stepping into an offensive stance. "Get ready, Eggman!" she yelled. "In a few minutes, you'll be sitting in a pile of metal and wires!"

The mad doctor chuckled. "We'll see about that," he replied. "Besides, I have some backup."

As he finished his sentence, three figures stepped out of the smoking crater from the explosion. They were all robots, Sonic determined. But something was different about them. They all had the aesthetic of Mobians, but were complex in their engineering, bearing heavy duty armor plating. The one on the far left had the appearance of a hyena, with green glowing optics, tan and gunmetal grey paint on its armor, and sported a slightly bulky physique.

The one on the right was owl-like in its appearance, its features appearing more slender and feminine against fiery red and gold plating. Its optics glowed a light purple. Sharp metal wings draped down from the back of its arms.

The robot in the center had a large, muscular appearance. Its features matched that of a bull. The entirety of its body was covered in black and grey armor. Fierce red optics stared intently at the five heroes.

"Say hello to Cackle, Swoop, and Ram!" Eggman announced. "Prepare to meet your doom, you miserable pests!"

Sonic got into a defensive pose. "You built them, didn't you?" he taunted. "It's probably gonna take a few minutes before we're standing on their remains!"

Eggman chortled, then turned to the three robots below his pod. "Show them what you've got," he ordered.

All three of the metal Mobianoids started to stride towards the group with determined, malicious expressions. "Come on, guys!" Sonic yelled. At his command, all five of them charged at the robots, all of them letting out a loud, fierce battle cry.

**WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWM**

Knuckles took after Ram, rearing back his arm for a powerful throw. However, mid swing, a metal hand gripped onto his gloved fist. "What the-?" Knuckles stuttered. Suddenly, Ram threw his fist aside, then delivered a sharp blow into the echidna's stomach. Knuckles stumbled backwards, clutching onto his abdomen tightly. He ducked as Ram threw another punch, allowing for him to recover and deliver a blow with both his arms.

Despite the powerful thrust of his swing, the impact barely seemed to faze the robot bull. He looked at Knuckles intently, then grabbed onto one of his quills and brought him down, using his metal knee to send Knuckles flying back.

"For a big guy, you sure are clumsy," Ram taunted. Knuckles, dusting off his arms and body, glared back and the bull robot and charged again.

**WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWM**

Sonic sped over to Cackle, jumped up, and spin dashed towards the hyena robot. However, a metal arm knocked him to the side. The cobalt hedgehog steadied himself as he landed, looking up with a hard glare. _Eggman really upped his game with these guys._

He stood up straighter, then ran for another attack. Hwol grabbed him by the arm just as he passed by the robot, and swung him clockwise before letting go, sending Sonic flying through several trees.

The hedgehog grunted quietly as he got up, clutching a bruised area on his shoulder. "Not bad," Howl observed with a smirk. "For a hedgehog."

"Sonic, catch!" Tails called. Sonic looked over and caught a yellow energy cable as it flew through the air just as his friend was hit with a plasma based projectile. "Tails!" he cried before turning back to Cackle angrily. He whipped the cable towards the hyena, causing it to loop around his cannon arm. Sonic pulled him forward with all his might, expecting to deliver a blow to Cacklel's face, but was met with a metal fist colliding with his chest. He stumbled backward, barely able to breathe from the impact. He looked back up at Cackle, who was walking towards him in a threatening manner.

**WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWM**

Amy and Sticks stood on the left and right side of Swoop, who was looking back and forth at the two of them. "How about a little game of 'Monkey in the Middle?'" Amy said to Sticks, who smirked in response.

They both threw their weapons above Swoop's head, Amy catching her friend's staff while Sticks grabbed the large hammer out of the air. She then swung it at Swoop, who moved out of the way, only to be struck in the back of the head with the long wooden weapon. Turning back around, the owl robot attempted a swing at Amy, who jumped out of the way, tossing the staff back to Sticks before catching her hammer. She swung quickly, delivering a powerful blow into Swoop's body, who flung back, skidding to a halt on her feet.

Sticks let out a loud grunt as she swung her staff into the owl's head with great force. However, the tremendous impact caused the wooden weapon to snap loudly down the middle. Sticks looked at the broken end of her staff. "But, this is the strongest wood on the island!" she whispered, a slight hint of fear in her voice.

"Enough!" Swoop cried. Her sharp metal wings suddenly stuck outward, and she spun in place rapidly until a small wave of energy erupted from her feet, knocking into Sticks and Amy and sending them flying backwards. "Hmm, too easy."

**WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWM**

Within minutes, the whole team had huddled together, badly injured and riddled with fatigue. Dust and bruises were sploched all over their bodies. All three of the robots stood in front of them, clearly satisfied with what they've accomplished.

"They're all yours, Eggman," Cackle said, and the three of them moved out of the way as the small pod hovered just above the ground in front of them. "Well, it's been fun, rodents," he taunted with a smirk. "But I have an island to conquer. And I need to maintain a _pest control_." As he finished his sentence, a large barrel extended from an open hatch on the front. A low humming noise resonated from the inside, gradually increasing in volume and pitch.

Sonic looked at his friends, who each closed their eyes, prepared to accept their fate. He looked at Amy, and she stared back at him, giving each other sad expressions before clenching their eyes shut, prepared to be met with a burning death.

A firing sound echoed through the village, and all of them flinched, but felt no pain. Slowly opening his eyes, Sonic could see Eggman's pod spiraling away from them. The barrel of the weapon was now melted and smoking. "Who did that?!" the doctor yelled furiously. Cackle, Swoop, and Rammer all looked around, unsure of what caused the laser fire.

Suddenly, the clang of metal and clattering of pebbles caught their attention. They all looked toward the source of the noise, and the team's eyes all widened.

Standing up, in a small crater in the pavement, was another Mobianoid robot. It was slightly bulky, but also had a streamlined look. Its plating was Copenhagen blue and deep silver. In place of optics and a mouth were a silver plate shaped into a muzzle, and two glowing blue plates that were shaped into a furrowed brow. A silver headcrest was mounted on the forehead.

Cackle seemed surprised by the new robot's presence, but then furrowed his metal brow and clenched his fists. "What an unexpected surprise, Roar," he said. The robot across from the trio simply nodded in response. Ram stepped forward and pounded his fists together. "What? Cat got your tongue?" he asked with a dangerous smirk. Roar didn't answer, instead deploying a cannon weapon from his right arm, and a blade on his left. Swoop smirked. "Oh, this should be interesting," she said as the three started a slow walk towards Roar. The blue robot walked in their direction. They gradually sped up into a run, the trio drawing their weapons. Then, as Sonic and his friends wearily got up, the fight began. A fight in which Sonic, his friends, the village, nor Eggman had ever witnessed. An intense, fast-paced battle, but also elegant in an indescribable way.

Roar shot first, managing to strike Rammer in the shoulder before power-jumping onto his shoulders and bringing him down on his back, jumping away right before he landed before turning his attention to Cackle and Swoop. Cackle threw a fist at him, which he ducked and swung his leg into the back of Cackle's knee, causing him to fall forward, giving Roar the clearance to strike him on the back of the head. Swoop grabbed him from behind and threw him into a wall, and the mech let out a small grunt before falling to his knees. He got back up quickly and charged at an oncoming Swoop, grabbing her fist midair and bringing her over his head before slamming her into the ground.

He stood up straight and backflipped just as Ram came in from behind, causing him to run right into the wall. Roar held him there as he let bullets spray at Cackle. The hyena ducked under them and tackled Roar. The two rolled before Roar got on the bottom and kicked off his adversary. Cackle flew into a tree close by, and got caught under the falling trunk. Quickly, he pushed it off of him, and noticed someone hiding nearby. With a sinister smirk at Roar, who was occupied with Ram and Swoop, he ran to where that person was hiding.

Just as Roar threw Swoop and Ram away, the sound of a shriek caught his attention. He turned toward the direction of the noise, where Cackle was currently holding a bandicoot girl in a chokehold with his weapon against her hand. Roar moved to run to them, but was grabbed by both Ram and Swoop. He struggled greatly, but didn't make a sound. Cackle smirked. "If you move, this girl gets it." The girl had a scared look. "No, please," she gasped. He pushed the barrel against her head.

Sonic gasped upon realizing who it was. "Perci!" he whispered. He tried to run, but was stopped by Amy. "We can't do anything!" she said urgently. "If we try, she's as good as gone!" Sonic fought her grip as best he could. "But if we don't, Roar's dead!" Sticks looked at him. "Why do you _want_ to save him? For all we know he could be with them!" Sonic looked back at her. "He saved our lives. I want to return the favor." Knuckles put on a thinking look. "Maybe we can sneak attack?" he offered. Sonic thought for a moment, then smiled. "That's actually the smartest thing you've said all day." Knuckles gave him a puzzled look. "Really? Well, thank you."

Roar finally spoke, his voice deep and giving off a mechanical vibration. "You don't want to do this, Cackle," he tried. "Just take me in and let her go." Cackle sneered. "Where's the fun in that?" he returned. Roar growled. "Do you think Hunter would've wanted this?!" Cackle's look of superiority faded. "I couldn't give less of a damn about what Hunter wants," he said in a low and dangerous voice.

Suddenly, a light blue coil grabbed his cannon arm, catching him by surprise. It was turned away from Perci, firing just inches from her face. Two more coils, red and pink, grabbed onto Swoop and Ram, throwing them backwards, giving Roar time to fire at Cackle, a bullet flying straight into his optics, causing him to let her go. Roar ran forward, grabbed her, and ran to a safe hiding place. She was panting and appeared very startled. "It's okay," Roar said. "I'll make sure he doesn't touch you again." She nodded and forced herself to calm down. "Thank you," she said quietly. He nodded before jumping over the hiding place and running back towards the fight.

Cackle had one hand over his optic. "You and your friends are gonna pay for that!" he growled before trying to punch Roar. The mech blocked it and threw him to the ground. "Yeah, yeah," he taunted before throwing him into the other two. "If I had a nickle every time I heard that."

Cackle, Swoop, and Ram all sat there, tired out and beaten. Roar stood a few meters away as Sonic and the others jumped down behind him from the plane. "Had enough?" he asked. Cackle growled at him. "Don't celebrate so soon," he muttered before getting up. "We're going," he said to the others. He looked up at Eggman, who was staring dumbfounded in his pod. "Thanks for your help," he hissed. Eggman held his hands up. "Hey, that fight was too cool!" he shot back before following them. The mechs flew into the sky and past the mountains, with Eggman following close by.

Roar looked back at the others, who all stood with awe-struck expressions. "Wow….thanks for saving our butts back there." Sonic said. Roar nodded. "One question," Tails added. "Who are you?" Roar didn't answer, instead boosting upwards and flying off into the distance.

Sonic brushed his quills as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. He looked at the others, but found no words to say. Suddenly, Sticks broke the silence. "Where's Leo?" she asked. Amy looked to where their friend had run. "Let's go find him," she added.


	3. Welcome to Team Sonic

_Welcome to Team Sonic_

Eggman paced back and forth across the polished floor, muttering angrily as Cackle, Swoop, and Ram stood by and watched.

Finally, Eggman turned toward them, his face red with fury. "How did he beat you three?!" he roared, clenching his fists. "I thought you said he couldn't handle taking down more than one target!"

Cackle rolled his optics. "That should be obvious," he said. "He's been training. Learning how to combat our strategies. Our strengths."

"And our weaknesses," Swoop added. "He's stronger than we thought. He must have improved his ability to fight multiple enemies. He could never take the load when we fought him before we came to the island." Eggman whipped around, his brow furrowed to the lowest point. "How did you not account for that?" Ram stepped forward. "Our creator told us that he blocked all of Roar's primary weapon functions," he explained. "He must've also figured out how to break through those blockades _and_ cut our communication with him so that we wouldn't know about it." Eggman seemed quite surprised. "Never took you to be smart," he muttered quietly, not wanting to anger the bull robot. He shook his head. "So, how do you propose to fight him now?"

"_We_ train," Cackle answered. "Do you have any footage of the fight?" Eggman scoffed. "Of course I did! That was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" Swoop shook her head. "We use that data and learn how to combat him." Eggman sprouted an evil grin. "Excellent!"

**WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW**

The first obvious place to check was Leo's house, so that's where the team went. They knocked, and after a few moments, the door slowly opened. "Is it safe to come out?" Leo's slightly shaky voice rang out as a peacock-blue eye peered out the small crack. Sonic nodded, and Leo opened the door all the way. He appeared to be in shock from hearing the battle.

Sticks walked over to him first. "Come on, you big baby," she said. "Eggman attacks the village every week, so get used to it." Leo rolled his eyes. "Pardon me for my anxiety attack," he muttered. He rapped his fingers on the door frame awkwardly. "So, how did the fight go?

"It went pretty well," Sonic said cockily, crossing his arms and pulling off his trademark smirk. Tails shook his head. "We almost got killed by three new robots." Leo's ear twitched. "What kind of robots?" Amy described them, being sure to include what they did and how they fought, then went on about how they were saved by another one of them. "They called that one 'Roar,'" Knuckles said. "Pretty generic name, if you ask me." Leo nodded. "Yeah?" he said. "What about the others' names?"

"Cackle, Swoop, and Ram," Amy listed. "Well, those actually make sense due to their animal types," Tails added. "Roar is just unrecognizable."

Leo lead them inside. "So, you guys fought them off?" Sonic made a move to nod. "Well, not really us. Roar did...some of the work," he half-truthfully admitted. Amy scoffed a little.

Leo sat on the couch. "Well, at least you're safe." Amy sat next to him. "Are you gonna be okay?" she asked. Leo nodded with a small smile. Sonic plopped down next to him. "We're here for you, man," he said. The two fist bumped. Knuckles walked up from behind and smiled down at them. "Bring it in, guys!" he said, and he wrapped his arms around the three. Leo's eyes widened from the pressure and he winced. "Too…...much…...hugs…" he wheezed, his eyes starting to water.

**WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW**

As the sun shone in the bright blue sky over the village, Sonic and his friends were chilling at the beach, laying down on blankets draped over the sand. Sonic was currently locked in an intense game of volleyball against Knuckles. He had been taken down by his spikes at least three times. He signaled for a timeout and looked over at the others. Sticks and Tails were currently working on what seemed to be an oversized sand castle, while Amy and Leo were chilling under the massive umbrella Knuckles had somehow gotten ahold of. Leo was dressed in red swimming trunks and blue sandals. He had his sunglasses perched over his eyes due to the shade. Amy was in a pink swimming suit and had red flip-flops. They were both chatting and laughing as they drank punch. A strange twinge feeling started to grow deep inside. He shrugged the feeling off and went back to volleyballing.

"And so a guy walks in as we're eating, and he goes 'Who parked their car sideways?' Someone raises their hands, and then the guy says, 'What? Are you special or something?'" Amy spit out her drink as Leo burst into a fit of laughter. "Oh, my God!" she said through her giggling as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Sounds like a heck of a homecoming!" Leo nodded, settling down some. "Funniest thing I've ever heard." Amy looked at him. "That's even better than Comedy Chimp!" she said with a smile. Leo raised his brow. "Who's that?" Amy put her hand on her knee. "The big comedian on our island. He's pretty good at what he does." Leo nodded, took out a notepad, and wrote down the name.

"And…." Tails whispered in a drawn-out way as he carefully set a small red flag on top of a tower. "Done!" He hovered back down to ground level. "Hey, guys! Look what we made!" The others turned from their activities, and their eyes widened upon seeing the massive sand castle. It was at least three the size of Sonic's hut, and was sculpted and detailed precisely. The sand was holding together surprisingly well.

Leo stood up out of his chair and gawked. "How…." he trailed off, taking the sunglasses off his head and setting them on his chair. Sticks popped her head out of a window in one of the towers. "We just compacted the sand hard enough to keep it up." She hopped down and landed in front of him, crossing her arms with a smug look. "Not bad for a girl in rags, right?" Leo smiled faintly at her. "Yeah," he admitted. "Not too bad." Tails walked over. "Wanna see the interior?" he asked, causing Leo to stare at him wide-eyed. "This thing has an interior?" he said almost breathlessly. Sonic and Knuckles walked over to them. "Let's see it, buddy!" the cobalt hedgehog said.

The second they entered, the four were completely mesmerized by how well the place was put together. There was furniture, paintings, carpets, plants, even torch lights, all of which were made of sand. Leo seemed to be the most amazed at what Tails and Sticks had accomplished.

The two lead them into the main hall, a vast, open space with a staircase on either side of the room. "Holy crap…" Leo said, then coughed. "Feels a bit dusty in here." Tails shrugged. "It's sand," he replied. "What do you expect?"

Knuckles walked over to a painting. "Wow. It's so lifelike," he said. Leo walked over, slightly confused at his comment. "Uh…." he stopped himself, deciding instead to just admire the abstract art. Knuckles reached forward and gently touched the sand painting. "It feels solid as a rock," he muttered. A small smirk etched itself onto his face, and Leo realized what he was thinking. "Knuckles, don't!" he cried, but it was too late before the red echidna thrusted his fist into the wall, putting a hole through it.

As once, the whole structure caved in, turning into dust and landing on the team. The sand reached up to above their knees while also landing in piles on their heads. Everyone looked at Knuckles with a small glare. "What?" he asked cluelessly. Leo brought his palm to his face with a small smack, then hastily brushed the sand out of his hair. Tails looked around. "An hour's worth of work thrown right down the trash chute," he muttered. Sticks poked her hand out of the sand. "I don't mind much," she said with a smile. "It'll be harder for aliens to track us with the sand molecules this densely piled up." Leo pinched his nose.

**WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW**

After the mess had been cleaned up, it was decided that dinner was in order. They chose to eat at Sonic's shack. The next issue was on _what_ they would have for dinner.

Sonic was the first to offer an idea. "Why don't we get chili dogs from Meh Burger?" he asked. Leo shuddered. "After what happened yesterday, I wouldn't even _trust_ their chili dogs," he said. Amy held her hand up. "Why don't we actually _make_ something?" she suggested. "But I don't know how to cook!" Knuckles whined. "Knuckles is right," Tails said. "None of us except Amy know how to cook!" Sticks rolled her eyes. "It's not that hard," she said, standing up. "I'll go start a fire outside. You guys get some spears for the fish." She started to head to the door when someone said, "Well, I can cook."

All of them looked at Leo. "You?" he said. Leo nodded. "Wasn't it obvious?" he said. "Not even from the popcorn and drinks I made last night?" Knuckles scratched his head. "You made those drinks?" Leo gave him a deadpan expression.

Amy shrugged. "I guess you can help," she said. "Two cooks are better than one." Leo stood up. "Sure!" The two went into the kitchen area and got to work. Leo rummaged through the cabinets, and his face started to bear concern. "What's with all this bare space?" he muttered. Amy looked at Sonic. "When's the last time you went grocery shopping?" Sonic shrugged. "Probably a month. Why?"

Leo moved out of the way, and Amy gestured at the cabinets, all of which were rather empty, save fer a few cans and packages. "You're pantry is non-existent!" Sonic's eyes widened and he rushed over. "But I had plenty of food in here!" he said as he looked around. "Where did it go?" Leo sniffed the air and winced a little. "Anybody smell that?" he asked. Knuckles covered his nose and coughed. "Did that widabit get in here again?" he said breathlessly. Sonic leaned against the counter and let out an annoyed groan. "That freaking…." he started, choosing not to finish. Leo seemed surprise. "This island has widabits?" he inquired. Tails nodded. "One moved into his house to find a mate," he said, then his brow furrowed. "It wasn't a fun episode."

Leo looked at Amy. "I'm _not_ going out to eat," he said. She crossed her arms and gave Sonic a look. "We're gonna go grocery shopping," she said. Sonic's ears perked up. "You mean you're going _together_?" he asked in a mildly surprised voice, then his expression softened a little as he held his hands up. "I-I mean, that's cool! It's just grocery shopping. What could happen?" He saw a knowing smirk from Leo, and with a huff, he turned around, pretending to look out the window. "Just go get something to eat!" Rolling his eyes, Leo nodded to Amy and the two walked out of the shack.

The walk to the store only took a few minutes, and Leo grabbed a basket on the way in. "So, what would you like to make?" Amy asked. Leo glanced at her before rubbing his chin in thought. "Pizza sounds good right about now," he answered. "What kind?" she asked again. "Double pepperoni. It's my favorite." She nodded and went with him into one of the aisles.

As they selected ingredients, Amy decided to try and get to know more about her friend. "What made you want to move here?" she asked. Leo immediately answered with, "I just wanted to get away from the city for once." She looked at him. "I didn't know the island had a city," she said. He looked at her. "You haven't? It's Angle City. Never heard of it?" She rubbed her chin a little before snapping her fingers. "Oh, yeah! The one on the Northern coast?" Leo nodded. "That's the one! How did you not know about it?" She shrugged. "I don't get to travel much. Eggman attacks every week." Leo gave an "Ah," of understanding.

"So what else do you like to do?" she continued. He thought for a moment and took a deep breath, ready to explain. "I draw, I collect _Converters_ figures, I practice bass and drumming, I like cooking, and I invent." Amy's eyes widened. "Like Tails?" He nodded a little bit. "Well...maybe less advanced. What's his IQ?"

The store was quiet until the sound of Leo's voice yelling, "_300?!_" echoed through the aisles. Amy covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Yep!" she said. Leo ran his hand down his face. "I'm at 169...an eight-year-old is smarter than me!" He chuckled, then looked at her. "What's he made beside Sonic's speed cycle?" Amy thought a moment, then explained all of the machines Tails made, along with how well each worked and if they ever blew up in his face.

Leo smiled and looked through a shelf of spices. "This look good?" he asked, holding up a small thing of shredded mozzerella. She nodded. "It's a pizza. Mozzerella is kind of key." They both laughed politely before going back to look for ingredients.

Check out went by in a matter of seconds, and the two were walking back to the shack. "So, you guys are used to Eggman attacking?" Amy nodded. "It's a recurring theme, so we just roll with it." Leo nodded and waved at a few people they passed. She smirked when she saw him blush as a familiar girl waved back at him. "That's Perci," she said. "We met her when she crashed her bike." He looked at her. "How'd that go?" Amy shrugged. "We ended up setting Tails' lab on fire?" He raised a brow. "He has a lab?" She nodded again. "More of a barn with lab equipment, but still."

They reached the house in a few minutes, and Sonic was tapping his foot as he leaned against the doorway. "What're we having?" Leo held a bag up. "Hope you like pizza." Tails looked at them and smiled. "We _love_ pizza!" Amy helped Leo get the groceries out of the bags. "You up for double pepperoni?" Knuckles gasped as his eyes went wide. "There's _double_ pepperoni?" Leo chuckled. "You don't get out much, do you?" Knuckles shook his head. "I have a workout regimant to attend to."

Soon, Leo had gotten started on the dough while Amy prepared the sauce. Quite a few times, the two had bumped into each other on accident, to which they quickly apologized and went back to work. It amused Sonic, but a small part of him got the same slight twinge feeling deep inside. He couldn't figure out what it was, but he knew it determined that it happened whenever Leo and Amy were together. He pushed the feeling back again.

Soon, they had popped the uncooked pizza into the oven and set the timer. "There," Leo said, brushing his hands together to get the flour off. Amy looked at her dress. "A bit messier than I'd like," she muttered. As if on instinct, Leo had handed her a paper napkin, which she gladly took and wiped the sauce off of her skirt. Within half an hour, the group was seated in the living room, enjoying their slices of pizza. "I forgot how good pepperoni pizza was!" Sonic said. "I usually get sausage and olives." Leo pointed at him. "Good choice," he said. Sonic smiled a little. "Thanks." Leo nodded.

Soon, their bellies were full, and the mood was lively and cheerful. Sticks and Amy were chatting while playing a nice game of cards. Tails was trying to rewire the air conditioning. Knuckles and Sonic were locked in a pillow fight. And Leo was reading a book he had brought over. The time was nice and quiet. The only sounds were the quiet rushing sounds of the low tides, the chirping of crickets, and the occassional flip of a page.

After a while, Sonic looked out the window, gazing upon the low set moonlight. "Anybody else think it's about time we go to sleep?" Leo looked over and nodded, letting out a loud yawn. "Yeah," he said before catching his breath and rubbing his eyes. "But I don't wanna get up," Sticks was lying on the chair close by, with her legs up on the back of the seat and her head hanging off the edge. "Yeah, I'm pretty comfy, too." Sonic shrugged. "I guess we're doing a sleepover." Everyone nodded and said something in agreement.

Blankets and pillows were lain out on the floor, and everyone got comfortable. "Good night!" Knuckles said as he pulled his blanket over himself. "Good night!" everyone said back, and soon the only sound that could be heard were everyone's quiet snores.

**WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW**

The sound of a scream awoke Sonic in an instant, and he shot up. He looked around at everyone as he panted, their faces struck with surprised and shock. "What the hell was that?!" Sticks cried. Amy rushed to the window and looked out to the village in the distance, her eyes following small shadows that were running about. "Bandits!" she answered. Leo shot up into a stand. "Are we gonna do something?" he said, looking around at the others. Tails looked surprised. "You don't wanna fight robots, but you're willing to take on possibly armed bandits?" Leo nodded. "I'm crazy, I know!" He looked to the door. "Come on!" He rushed outside, and the others followed closely.

They got to the village, and what they saw didn't surprised them. Bandits were running around, breaking into houses, pushing things down, and beating on the villagers. Sonic balled his hands into fists. "Let's go, guys!" Leo nodded, stepped back a little, and sprinted to the fight. Eyes wide, the rest of the team followed, preparing to fight.

Much to the surprise of Sonic and his friends, Leo fought admirably. His fighting style implemented both offensive and defensive strategies. He was swift, quick to action, almost elegant, but he still retained a strong aggression in his form. And the passion in his combat was _very_ prominent. The first ones to fall to him were a group of small bandits who were pestering Ms. Vandersnout. One of them was trying to take her purse before Leo grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him around, and gave him a _strong_ right hook. The other two, surprised, tried to swing at him, which he dodged, stood on his hands, and swung his legs into their faces. Blood came out of one of their noses, and they went down instantly. Standing back up, Leo went to the elderly wolf. "You good?" he asked. She nodded with a smile. "Thank you, young man!" she said gratefully. He smirked and nodded, then went to fight other people.

The cowering citizens watched in amazement as Leo helped to drive off the bandits. "On your left!" he said to Amy, as he jumped onto a bandit's shoulders, pushing off and knocking the crook down as he went up, grabbing a nearby lamppost as he swung up onto a roof, taking down two bandits who were trying to get in through the chimney.

He spotted Sticks from afar, who was starting to get cornered by a large group of bandits. With quick thinking, he had grabbed a stick on of the bandit's was using, jumped from the roof, and slid along a power line using the stick. He brought his feet up and knocked down two of the bandits before landing next to Sticks. "Thought you could use some help!" he said as he got into a fighting stance. She smirked at him. "You seem very comfortable in this situation!" Leo helped her take down a few more bandits. "Gotta know what to do in certain situations!" He ran up a wall, flipped over behind another bandit, and roundhoused him.

He looked back at Sticks again. "I got an idea!" he said, pointing to the end of her staff. She looked at him, looked at her staff, then back at him and nodded. He grabbed the end with a strong grip, then let out a low grunt as he lifted her up and spun around. Sticks belted her signature war cry, letting her legs swing out to help her knock down the remaining enemies. Leo stopped spinning and set her down. "Not bad!" she complemented. He gave her a thumbs up as his tail wagged a little.

Within minutes, the bandits had either been taken down or driven out of the village, and Team Sonic watched with satisfied faces. The people started coming out of hiding, and they applauded. Sonic crossed his arms and smirked. "When was the last time we got applause?" Tails grabbed his notepad and flipped a few pages. "According to the listings, every week." Sonic held a hand up and closed his eyes. "No need to thank us, he said bashfully. "Just another day's work for Team Sonic." One villager raised their hand. "What about the new guy?" she asked. Sonic opened his eyes. "Leo?" He looked at their friend, who was backing away from a few villagers crowding him. "Hey, guys!" he whispered loudly to his friends with an unsure look. "I think I have a few fangirls now, and I don't know how to feel about it!"

Sonic thought a moment. Sure, they managed to fight the bandits off again, as they did every time, but with Leo's help, it was much more efficient. No one got hurt, no messes were made, even the ice cream cart hadn't exploded this time. He looked at his friends. Amy met his eyes first. "He _is _really good at this," she offered. Sonic rubbed his chin, then turned to the villager. "He's part of Team Sonic now," he answered with a smile.

_**Sorry for how slow this chapter may be. This hasn't been one of my best creative moods to write in. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it!**_


	4. Who Are You?

_Who Are You?_

The next few weeks went by uneventfully. Eggman attacked as usual, but there were no signs of Cackle, Swoop, or Ram. Sticks, of course, was very weary about their disappearance, but for the rest of the gang, it didn't matter much. Them being gone meant that they wouldn't have to get their butts kicked again.

And that wasn't the only good thing about their time. Leo had become an instant hit now that he was part of Team Sonic. He was an admirable fighter. Quick, agile, but still powerful and aggressive. However, he may have been a little _too_ aggressive at a few points.

During one of the bandit attacks, Leo had blocked a punch from a larger bandit and brought him into a lock before bringing his knee to the brute's arm. There was a sickening snap, and the brute's elbow was bent in a different direction. Leo's eyes widened, and his face contorted into shocked disgust as he gawked at the broken arm. "_Guh-ha!_" he managed to say in a horrified voice. "_I'm sorry! Oh, Go-hod!_" He threw him aside and shook his head before he turned his attention to a few more bandits hassling Tails.

Despite this, Sonic had to admit that he was the best fighter on the team. Sure, he didn't have the cobalt hedgehog's speed, Tails' wit, or Sticks' ferocity, but that's what made him stand out. He seemed to adapt to anything that came his way. He improvised his movements. Used different fighting strategies each fight, so any enemies couldn't use his strengths against him. It was very clever. But it was also oddly familiar. He had seen this kind of fighting energy before, but he couldn't remember where. Whatever it was, it was nevertheless impressive. And Sonic had felt a growing respect for his friend.

And to top it all off, he was _very_ popular with the village. He had kids wanting to talk to him every time they went out, and there were a few instances where some girls were fainting when he just _waved_ at them with his friendly smile. Admittedly, Sonic felt jealous of the attention he was getting, but for some reason, Leo didn't look like he cared. Hell, he even seemed to get nervous when the team planned on going out. There was even an instance where Leo had bought himself a hoodie and a pair of sunglasses for when they went to the movie theater, and it was _June_. The attempt failed, and he found himself trying to talk his way through a small group of fans to get through the door. Sticks had pulled him through, as even _she_ was warming up to him. She still teased him a lot, but she wasn't aggressive towards him. "Just get used to it," she explained to him. "Knuckles got his own talk show one time and everyone was all over him." Leo sighed and nodded, taking the sunglasses off. "Might as well," he mumbled. She gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before they all went to get their snacks and drinks.

Now, they were all chilling outside of the city hall. Leo had brought a red bass out and was tuning it. "How long have you been playing bass?" Sonic asked. He shrugged. "I'd say five years," he answered. Knuckles raised an eyebrow. "How do you keep it alive without a tank?" Leo gave him a perplexed look. "How do I-what?" Knuckles shrugged. "Just saying. You'll need a lot of water." Leo turned his head to the others. "None of this seems strange to you?" Amy shrugged. "We've been working with him for two seasons. We've gotten used to it." Leo nodded.

A shrew walked over. "Hey, Mr. Leo!" she said in a kind, adorable voice. Leo smiled at her. "Hey!" The shrew held her hands behind her back. "I'm Beth the Shrew!" She held her hand out. "It's sure nice to meet you!" Leo took it and gave a gentle shake. "Likewise." He was still smiling.

"Can you please play me a song?" Leo smiled bashfully and looked at his friends. "I dunno…I haven't played in a month." Beth rocked back and forth on her feet. "It would make my day awfully better!" With a quiet chuckle, he looked back at her. "I don't see why not." He tuned the bass some, and he sat straight with his knee up a little. "Could one of you guys call security over so I don't get trampled?" Sticks giggled. "I've set up some boobytraps already." Leo's smile faltered a little. "Right…" He looked at his guitar, plucking the strings for a second before adjusting his hands. Taking a deep breath, he began to pluck in a rhythm.

Sonic's ears perked as the song started. He knew this tune.

And then Leo began to sing. His voice was strong, but gentle in coordination to the mood of the music.

_I close my eyes_

_Only for a moment, and the moment's gone_

_All my dreams_

_Pass before my eyes, a curiosity_

Leo closed his eyes, as if he was quickly getting into the feel of the song. A small smile crept across his muzzle.

_Dust in the wind_

_All they are is dust in the wind_

_Same old song_

_Just a drop of water in an endless sea_

_All we do_

_Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see_

Some of the villagers looked over to where they were and began to flock to where the group was. Beth was mesmerized by Leo's singing, her eyes wide and full of wonder. Even Sonic was amazed.

_Dust in the wind_

_All we are is dust in the wind_

_Oh, oh, oh_

As he sang the bridge, he softened and raised the pitch of his voice, holding the notes perfectly. His hands travelled up and down the bass, plucking the strings at the bottom while holding them down at the top.

_Now, don't hang on_

_Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky_

_It slips away_

_And all your money won't another minute by_

Sonic smiled. He had to get in on this. He and the others began to sing along to the last chorus.

_Dust in the wind_

_All we are is dust in the wind (All we are is dust in the wind)_

_Dust in the wind_

_Everything is dust in the wind (Everything is dust in the wind)_

As Leo slowed the music to a close, he sang one last quiet, "The wind," before he stopped the music altogether and took a breath, looking around at the villagers watching in awe.

Mike started clapping, followed by Leroy, and then Staci and Perci, then the rest of the crowd. "That was marvelous!" Lady Walrus exclaimed. Leo smiled a little and looked at Beth. "How was that?" Beth smiled up at him. "That was the darn best thing I've ever heard, Mister!" Leo laughed a little and held his hand out, which she high-fived. He stood up and looked at the others. "Wanna go have lunch? I'll make it."

"Sure!" Tails said, and all six of them walked to Leo's house.

_**WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW**_

Sonic bit into the sandwich and smiled as the flavor danced on his tongue. "These are great!" He looked at his friend, who was cleaning up the countertop he used to make lunch. "How are you not on that show with the angry old guy?" Leo shrugged. "I'd get my butt kicked for yelling back. I'm kinda easy to piss off." Sticks set her plate down. "I'll say!" Leo smirked a little before going back to his work. Behind him, Amy put her plate in the sink and walked back out of the kitchen. Just as she passed, his whole body tensed, he let out a faint yelp, and he dropped the rag on the floor. Amy spun around and covered her mouth. "Sorry!" she cried. "I didn't see your tail!" Leo eased up and turned a little to face her. "It's alright." He rubbed the back of his head. "That was weird." Sonic chuckled. "Looks like the bandits have a way to beat you now!" he called over before taking another bite of his sandwich. Leo rolled his eyes and leaned against the counter. "Why don't you ring them up for me? I'll write some conditions of surrender." Sonic almost spit out his water.

"So, Leo," Sticks said. "Why didn't you tell us you were a good singer?" Leo shrugged. "I didn't have a reason to." Sticks went over to him and leaned against the counter across from her. "Why? You got a mind control device in that bass?" Leo smiled and shook his head. "I'll even show you!" He brought the bass out, took a screwdriver, and removed the back covering. "See? Nothing!" Sticks shrugged. "You should do that more often. It was good!" Sonic smirked at the two of them. Sticks, of all people, complimenting a guy she had trouble trusting when she first met him, and now she was acting like he was her bestie.

Sonic laid across the couch and yawned. "Laziest Sunday ever," he mumbled to himself. Sure enough, everyone seemed to be bored out of their mind. Leo had his face buried into the couch. "Boooooorrrrrrrreed," his muffled voice droned. Sticks smirked a little, grabbed a blanket, and draped it over his head. "Really?" he deadpanned. Sticks giggled. "Get some rest, you big baby. It's the only thing you look like you wanna do." Leo lifted his head to look at her and he smirked. "Fine." He closed his eyes and yawned before he soon let out gentle snores.

Sonic looked over at Amy. "So...what did you do with his tail?" he asked. She looked at him. "I just grazed it with my hand. I guess it's super sensitive or something." Sonic nodded and went back to staring up at the ceiling. He glanced back at Leo, and that was when he noticed how buff he was. It wasn't anything crazy, but he had a bit of a build to his stature. _That explains why he can fight so well._

That was when there was a distant explosion, and Leo jolted awake. "What was that?!" he yelled. Sonic looked out the door, and he gasped as he saw a tan and grey streak hurtle towards him and barely ducked out of the way, letting it crash into the kitchen sink. Leo gasped. "Hey!" he yelled, and he jumped over the couch. "Leo, no!" Tails cried before an orange bolt of energy hit him from behind. He grunted as he flew into the wall and into his bedroom. They turned to see a familiar robot owl standing in the doorway. "Where is Roar?!" she hissed before Ram came charging in at Knuckles, who met his force, and the two tumbled outside.

Sonic clenched his fists and spin-dashed at her and sent her back out onto the front lawn. "You'll pay for that!" he roared as he landed, and he turned to Amy. "Go help him!" She nodded and ran through the hole while the others went out to fight the trio.

She saw him sprawled on the carpet in an unconscious heap. "Leo!" she cried and knelt down beside him, shaking his shoulder. "Come on, wake up! You have to get out of here!" He let out a weak groan and clenched his fists. Amy heard the chaos ensuing outside. _We should've been prepared!___she thought to herself as she continued her attempts to get him conscious. That was when she caught the sight of a faint blue glow in front of his face. She felt some kind of familiarity. "What the..?" she said as she tried to turn him over.

Suddenly, he picked himself up off the ground into a kneel, and he looked at her. His eyes were glowing a bright aqua. She gasped and leaned against the bed. "L-Leo!" she whispered. He bit his lip. "Guess the secret's out now…" he muttered. He looked back at the door, and his entire outer body disappeared in a blue flash to reveal blue and silver metal, which unfolded into the body she knew as Roar. He furrowed his brow, and a faceplate appeared as he ran out. Amy shook her head to relieve the shock and grabbed her hammer. _**He's**__ Roar?!_

Cackle looked at the front entrance, and Sonic looked back in the same direction. _Roar?! But, how-_ He gasped. "L-Leo!" Roar nodded and charged at Cackle, throwing all his weight into his enemy. They tumbled against the dirt as the other two ran to join in the fight, and soon enough Leo was starting to lose himself. Sonic looked at his friends. "We're not sitting this out this time!" he said to them. They all nodded, and they ran over to help their friend.

Knuckles picked Ram up with all his might, grunting as he threw him into a nearby lamppost. The bull grunted as he landed and shook his head. "Not bad," he muttered before deploying a mace and swinging it at the echidna, who jumped out of the way.

Sticks, Amy, and Tails all fought against Swoop. She attempted to fly above the girls, but was caught off guard by Tails landing on her back. "Get off, child!" she yelled. Tails smirked and wrapped his enerbeam around her waist, flying off and spinning through the air with a grunt before releasing her and sending her sprawling into a tree.

Sonic and Leo fought against Cackle, who seemed to be having trouble against their combined efforts. Leo threw a right hook into his face, and Sonic swept him off his feet, allowing Leo to bring a knee into his stomach. The hyena grunted and yelped in response to the quick attacks.

Pretty soon, all of them were losing the battle. Cackle skidded to a halt a good distance away from being thrown, and he growled as he picked himself up. "The battle's lost! Let's go!" the other two nodded and followed, with Leo firing his blasters at them until they were out of range. He panted as he retracted his weapons and faceplate, then turned to the others. "So...now you know my big secret.." he said tiredly. Sticks went over to him. "How…" she whispered. Sonic winced, expecting her to lash out. Instead, she pulled him into a hug. "What happened to you?!" she cried. The gang's eyes widened. This was the reaction they expected the least.


End file.
